


Show Me The Way Home

by storm_of_sharp_things



Category: James Bond (Craig movies), London Spy, Top Gun (1986)
Genre: 00QAD - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Top Gun Fusion, Communication kink, Happy Ending, Happy Endings for all!, M/M, Multi, No MCD, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, look they all just needed some comfort and fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:29:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26971423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storm_of_sharp_things/pseuds/storm_of_sharp_things
Summary: Commander James "Hurricane" Bond of the RAF is an instructor at the multinational Lightning Force training program at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, with Q as the civilian technical chief. Lieutenant Danny "Peach" Holt was part of the program, but after his pilot, Lieutanant Aiden "Joker" Cafferty was killed, he left to run a bar near the base. Lieutenant Alex "Runner" Turner is the RAF pilot of a mixed team, flying with Marine Lieutenant Ron "Slider" Kerner.Do Maverick and Goose even need an introduction? Anyway, the canonical deaths in Top Gun and London Spy do not happen here, sorry for the spoilers, this is mainly about negotiating relationships and seeking comfort in your partners. Also, cuddle piles.
Relationships: James Bond/Danny Holt/Q/Alex Turner, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell/Nick "Goose" Bradshaw
Comments: 12
Kudos: 14





	Show Me The Way Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bloodsuitsandtears](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodsuitsandtears/gifts).



> This was written as a prize fic at the request of [bloodsuitsandtears](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodsuitsandtears) \- hope it turned out to be something like you wanted!   
> ^_^
> 
> (And I have no excuse as I was given the most amazingly detailed prompt: [TOP GUN!AU 00QAD edition](https://blood-suits-and-tears.tumblr.com/post/623244698716389376/top-gunau-00qad-edition-james-the-superior) so thank you for that, bst!)

**USMC & RAF Lightning Force training school - MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina**

“You’re a danger to everyone around you, Maverick,” Slider growled as they stripped out of their flight suits. “Someone should teach you better, since the Marines clearly didn’t.”

“Yeah?” Maverick faced off with the taller Radar Intercept Officer. “You planning to try it?”

A hush spread around the room as the other teams stopped pretending to be busy changing. Slider’s pilot, Runner, looked over at Maverick’s RIO, Goose, tilting his head toward the situation.

Goose sighed and stepped between them, shoving Maverick back toward his locker. “None of that.”

Slider snorted. “Too right, Goose. Pity you have to babysit your asshole of a pilot there. Try a collar next time, and see if....”

“Slider,” Runner said quietly even as Goose opened his mouth.

“What? We’re not going to call him on his shit? It’s only _your_ skill that kept us in the air...”

Maverick sneered. “ _His_ skill put you in _my_ line of fire.”

“After you left your wingman to cut us off from our target!” Slider took an angry step towards the pilot and ran into Goose’s outstretched hand.

“Gentlemen.” Commander Bond’s cold voice broke in and all attention turned towards him. “I suggest all teams head to the classroom. Immediately.” He kept his gaze on Maverick as a hurried rustling started up. “Except for you, Lieutenant Mitchell.”

Maverick lifted his chin and waited in parade rest as the other teams headed out. Goose came to stand at Maverick’s shoulder, copying his stance. Bond flicked a glance at the RIO before returning his glare to the pilot. “Your presence is not necessary, Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Goose replied politely while remaining in place.

Bond gave him a sharp look, studying him for a moment, before nodding permission and focusing on Maverick again. When the room was empty, he continued in an icy voice of command. “You will not participate in the class this afternoon and you are grounded for the training exercise tomorrow, Lieutenant Mitchell.”

He raised an eyebrow when Maverick started to protest. “This is not a discussion. This is an order.”

“It’s an unfair order! ...sir.”

“Unfair?” Bond’s other eyebrow rose to join the first.

“I had a shot, I took it! In combat...”

“You made a decision during a _training exercise_ which put members of your flight in danger.”

“With all due respect, _sir,_ I won’t fly differently in training than I do in combat.”

“So you’re telling me that, in combat, you’d normally abandon a wingman and endanger another team? For a greater piece of glory?”

At Goose’s not-so-subtle nudge, Maverick pressed his lips together and shut up.

The commander shook his head. “If you will risk your own forces and the life of your mate there just to make an extra point off your rival, then I will ground you until I can think of some way past the shield of your arrogance and attention-seeking.” Bond rubbed a hand through his own hair. “You’re a good pilot, lad, potentially a great one, but I need to get it into your skull that you are not, in fact, a lone cowboy in the Wild West.”

Maverick stared at him stubbornly and Bond shook his head again. “Ah fuck it, I can tell you’re not listening. Get to quarters, the both of you.” He turned away.

“Are we restricted to quarters? ...sir?” Maverick flared.

Bond, both eyebrows raised again, turned back in time to see Goose squeeze his eyes shut, his head falling forward in despair. “Lieutenant Mitchell, _you_ are restricted to quarters. Good day, gentlemen.” He left, deliberately ignoring the sound of Goose slapping a hand over Maverick’s mouth.

* * *

“...and so, given the stresses on this particular alloy, the shear direction can easily be predicted.”

Q manipulated the cutaway diagram of an F-35B Lightning on the digital whiteboard and kept an eye on James, who was leaning against the door jamb. Q guessed he’d probably taken a long walk after dressing down Maverick. He’d missed most of the class, though he wasn’t needed for the very technical stuff Q covered.

“Which is _why,_ Messrs. Hollywood and Wolfman, there is a diagonal bracing there that does indeed ‘fuck with the sweet lines.’ But since this alloy is one of the major reasons this jet handles differently than the Tomcats you Americans have been flying or our RAF standbys, the Typhoons, you need to know why you can do some maneuvers and others are less advisable.”

Slider raised a hand.

“Yes, Slider?”

“Is someone going to pass along that whole ‘advisable’ information to our resident rodeo clown? I feel it’s important...” There was some quiet sniggering among the teams.

Q put his hands on his hips. “Any further, perhaps pertinent, questions? No? Dismissed then.”

James stepped into the room as the teams filed out. Q gave him a down and up look, amused but sympathetic, and gestured him over before turning his attention to the pilot Runner, who was waiting patiently by his desk. “Alex? You needed something?”

Runner glanced between the two men. “I...just had a few questions about the engine specifications, but they can wait...”

Q laughed. “Of course you want more information, you always do. Don’t worry, James can take a walk until we’re done.”

“Oi! I’ve just had a walk!”

“Then go sit by the creek and pretend to fish. I’ll come find you in a bit. And don’t even try to roll your eyes, you were just complaining last night that you don’t get enough quiet time.”

“Bah.” James rolled his eyes before he strode away, but it was obvious to them both that he was far from upset.

Runner gave Q a faint smile. “I can’t imagine the fish will be more difficult than some pilots in this program.”

“Hah! It’s not as if he’ll be trying to catch anything. He won’t want to clean it after. Speaking of pilots though, that was some right sharp flying you displayed this morning.”

The pilot shrugged. “Never a dull day when Maverick’s in the sky. And I doubt he’ll change anytime soon.”

Q regarded him thoughtfully. “Well, you never can tell.” He turned to pull up the engine details. “All right, where shall we start?”

* * *

Goose slammed the door shut. “Jesus fucking _Christ,_ Mav, I’ve known you to be reckless, but that was a whole _series_ of assclown moves!”

Maverick ran his hands through his hair and let his shoulders drop. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“You’ll be sorrier if we get kicked out of the program. Provoking Hurricane like that? And if Runner hadn’t recovered from that maneuver you pulled...”

“I know! Okay?” He lowered his voice. “I know.”

Goose made an exasperated noise and locked the door before starting to take his clothes off. “Strip,” he ordered.

Maverick opened his mouth and then shut it as a sly look spread across his face. “Or what?”

“You think I can’t take you?” Goose straightened up to loom at Maverick. “Just because I let you take charge sometimes doesn’t mean that... _oof!”_

Maverick tackled him onto the bed, laughing madly as they both scrambled for leverage. They wrestled without further words, the only sounds little gasps of breath and the rustle of cloth as they pinned each other briefly, only to lose their hold and be pinned in turn. Goose finally managed to get a leg lock on Maverick, triumphant as he applied enough pressure to make him yelp.

“Okay, okay, I yield,” Maverick panted, relaxing against the bed when Goose released him. He grinned. “How d’you want me?”

“Actually, I want you to fuck me. I just didn’t want you to be a dick about it.” Goose gave him a stern look even as he reached over to the drawer for lube and a condom.

Maverick laughed and rolled up onto his elbow. “Why the fuck do you put up with me, Nick?”

“Y’know, maybe don’t ask that right now, Pete.”

“Oh, so I can ask _after_ I rock your world?” Maverick took the lube and nudged Goose onto his side, laying face to face with him and caressing his hip as he leaned in for a lingering kiss.

“Maybe I’ll have at least one reason then,” Goose grumbled as they broke for air. He sighed, hooking his leg over Maverick’s waist as the pilot traced a line down his spine. “Take your time, huh? I’m in the mood to be spoiled today.”

Maverick kissed him again, fingers following the curve of Goose’s backside. “You definitely deserve it.”

* * *

Q found James sitting under his favorite tree at the edge of the creek. “Maverick, hmm?” he said as he knelt over him, astride James’ thighs. He draped his arms over James’ shoulders and grinned as James’ strong hands came up to settle at Q’s hips. “You used to be very like him.”

James sighed. “I hope I was never that arrogant...fine, hush.” He pulled Q close for a kiss to silence him. “At any rate, I managed to learn better without dire consequences. I just...”

Q brushed his fingers through James’ short hair. “You don’t want anyone else going the same way Joker did.”

“I don’t want anybody left behind like Danny,” James growled, pulling Q tighter against his stomach. “Aidan got a quicker death than he deserved for the crap he pulled, but Danny didn’t merit...”

“Shhhh.” Q kissed him again, slowly, rolling his hips against James and savoring the faint moan he let slip. He leaned back a little to trace James’ mouth. “I know. I miss the bastard too, sometimes. But speaking of Danny...”

“I miss Danny so much,” James admitted. “I wish he hadn’t left the program, but I suppose I understand why he did. Hard to trust another pilot after that.”

“He didn’t go far.”

“Yes, but there’s a huge difference between living on base and sharing our bed, and living in a rat-arse efficiency over the dive bar you run!”

Q brushed his thumbs along James’ cheekbones as he cupped his face. “He was mourning, love.”

“So were we. And he left us, too.”

Q sighed. “He said he just needed some time. And we do go see him.”

“I know I sound childish about this,” James admitted, raising his hands to Q’s face. “We had something good, something amazing, and it kills me that it wasn’t something that Danny felt he could hold on to after Aidan died.”

“Let’s go see him now,” Q said impulsively. “Let’s see if we can drag him out of his bar and take him to bed.”

James brightened, though his skeptical expression hovered. “And maybe pork will grow wings. But he’s always going to be worth another try.”

* * *

Danny slid another bucket of beer bottles over to the cheerfully sloshed group of pilots at the end of the bar counter and gave them a wave. They were regulars and it was already charged to one of their tabs; he just made sure to spread it evenly among them before they settled up at the end of the night.

He nodded to the other bartender and indicated a group of very tipsy girls circling Slider, running a thumb across his throat to indicate that they were cut off. The last thing his little bar needed was a reputation for unsafe behaviour. The other bartender, a good-looking gent who went by the nickname Sig, nodded back and winked. Danny ignored the little hint, as he’d ignored all of the subtle and not-so-subtle suggestions Sig had laid across his path since he’d been hired last month.

It had been barely a year since Aiden and Danny was just starting to climb out of the pit of mourning he’d fallen into. He hadn’t been able to stay in the program after losing not just his pilot but his lover and his best friend since childhood; the man he’d followed into the RAF and had thought was the one true love of his life. He knew a few of the other teams were close in that way - he remembered, wistfully, how he and Aiden had moved like one body while flying, almost like telepathy. He hadn’t been able to face the thought of trying to learn to communicate with another pilot, a stranger, especially with Aiden’s ghost hovering in his mind. 

He watched a few other teams as they migrated around the bar, laughing and shouting over the music. He thought there was maybe one other similar partnership among the Marine flyers, and probably three or four on the RAF side. There was only one internationally mixed team— the RAF pilot Runner and the American RIO, Slider. Rumor said they were some sort of compromise between the forces. Danny knew they worked together well - they were currently the top-ranked team - but he thought that was more due to their skills because there wasn’t any intimacy between them as far as he could tell. He wasn’t sure he was ready to admit to himself how much the quiet, watchful, pilot drew him.

Anyway, it had been Aiden who’d told him Commander Bond and their technical instructor, Quinlan Taylor, were quietly an item, and apparently had been for a number of years. He’d hadn’t been surprised to find out Aiden had been sleeping with them; Aiden had loved casual sex and Danny’d never minded much as long as he was careful. It had been a thing he’d accepted long ago about the man he’d considered his one and only.

He _had_ been surprised when Aiden had admitted that he was getting rather serious about them and wanted to bring Danny into the mix. He’d never given a moment’s thought to a relationship with anyone else, much less a polyamorous one. He _liked_ James and Q, had socialized with them many times since Aiden had started sleeping with them; had even, if he were honest, entertained a few fleeting sexual thoughts about them. Maybe a few fantasies...

But Aiden had said that they’d repeatedly turned down his requests to get more serious, telling him that they’d only consider an actual relationship with him if Danny were also included. And Aiden had added blithely that he’d figured Danny could probably be persuaded, couldn’t he, bonny boy? He’d do that for his Aiden, yeah?

Danny didn’t think Aiden had given any thought to how that would turn out. It was painfully clear in hindsight, but to be fair, most things were. Danny had never had anyone else once he and Aiden had become a couple, so how were either of them to know Aiden would end up so jealous toward Danny’s relationship with Q and Bond?

And Aiden hadn’t handled it well. He’d hinted that Danny was an afterthought to the quad, that James and Q had only accepted him to get access to Aiden himself. Danny told himself it wasn’t true, _knew_ it, but still shied away from bringing it out into the open for discussion. James and Q had always been very forthright about the need for communication between the four of them, but it had been so much easier to just...not...mention it. Not this time. Later would be a better time. When Aiden was in a good mood, or...

Danny found himself scowling down at the cocktail he was mixing and deliberately cleared his face. Wouldn’t do to scare off customers. And it didn’t matter anyway. He’d decided he would have a talk with Aiden after the training flight that day and then Aiden had lost control of the jet after that risky maneuver and hadn’t made it out of the cockpit before the crash. And Danny’s personal world had ended. James and Q had wanted him to stay with them but Danny could still hear Aiden’s mocking tones when he called him a side issue, a bonus. It hadn’t mattered what either James or Q had said, Danny couldn’t think straight, hadn’t felt he belonged with them, and so he’d left. He just...hadn’t gone very far.

Sig bumped his hip against Danny to get his attention and nodded in the direction of Slider, who was chatting up the tipsy girls, arms around two of them as they leaned close and giggled, tugging their tops down further to show more cleavage. Danny glanced over. Runner, the team pilot, was watching Slider’s antics with amused distaste.

Sig leaned over to Danny’s ear. “Not a pair, those two?”

“Not every team’s together like that,” Danny replied flatly, hoping that would end the conversation. Sig was likely to turn any response into another attempt to get Danny into bed. It was truly a pity he was such a good bartender.

“More likely in the RAF than among the Americans, I’d think,” Sig smirked, surveying the teams in sight.

“I really couldn’t say,” Danny said. “Need to go open another box of rum, be right back.” He felt like a coward running off to the back storage, but he was already on edge from his thoughts and he didn’t trust himself to find yet another way to turn Sig down gently and not boot him right out the front door.

When he came back out with two more bottles of the vile coconut rum the local university students adored, he found James and Q sitting at the end of the bar being chatted up by Sig, which Q was taking with a look of amusement and James with what was clearly a great deal of patience.

As soon as they caught sight of him, though, James smiled at him with an open warmth that felt like a cozy bed on a winter morning, and Q stood up to pull him into a hug. Danny relaxed into the embrace and made a tiny sound of pleasure against Q when James settled a hand on the back of his neck and his thumb stroked lightly under Danny’s ear.

“Missed you,” Q whispered, giving him a squeeze before letting go. “You look pretty good,” he said at normal conversation level.

“Doesn’t he just?” Sig put in with a bit of a leer, then stepped back when James turned to look at him.

Danny tried not to laugh. “Oh, I don’t think you’ve met my new bartender, have you? James, this is Sig. Sig, this is Commander James Bond of the RAF. And this is Q, the master technician for the Lightning Force.

“Er, pleased to meetcha,” Sig said faintly, wilting in the force of the considering look James was giving him. “Er, Q, huh? Umm, is that short for something?”

“Yes,” Q said evenly. “It’s short for my name. Which is not the most pleasant thing to hear in some accents. And let me guess, your last name is Sawyer and either you or your parents thought it would be funny to be called Sig, especially in a military town.”

“Ah ha ha, yeah...” Sig replied weakly. “Er, Danny, I’ll just, umm, go check on the group over there, okay?” He scurried off without waiting for an answer.

Danny snorted. “Why didn’t you two come in weeks ago?”

“Because the last time we came in, you gave us a look like it was torture just to see us?” James replied mildly.

Danny winced. “It wasn’t a good day, when you came in. It was the anniversary...”

“And we came in to support you and be there if you wanted us to be, which you clearly didn’t at the time.” James shrugged. “But we won’t give up unless you tell us to. Which you haven’t. Yet.”

His heart thudded hard for a few beats. “You’re right. I haven’t.” He looked steadily at James and was rewarded with that irresistible quirk of a smile.

Q jerked his head toward the Staff Only door that led out into the back alley. “I think we should go have ourselves a little chat.”

Danny’s heart rate sped again and he felt the first stirrings of an interest, a pre-arousal, that had been missing for far too long. “Yes, let’s go talk.”

Alex jumped slightly when Slider dropped a hand onto his shoulder.

“You watch Q on base, and you watch Danny Boy here, too. And now they’re together and heading out back with the old storm front himself, Commander James “Hurricane” Bond? Also an object of interest for you, I have observed. So I wonder what might be going through your mind just now, o pilot mine?”

Alex glanced past him at the giggling girls who were now clustered around a couple of other American Marines. “Thought you’d be headed back to your ‘cockpit’ already with some of your groupies.”

Slider rolled his eyes. “Too drunk for real consent,” he muttered.

Alex leaned away from him. “How ethical. Who are you and what have you done with my Radar Intercept Officer?”

Slider smirked at him. “Besides, someone’s got to watch your six while you go spy on the loverboys out there.”

“I’m not going to...”

“If you support yourself on the stall walls, you can look out that high window in the men’s bathroom without being seen. And hear almost everything, too.”

“...come guard the door.”

As soon as he saw the three of them in the back alley, Alex felt a stab of longing. Bond was cradling Danny’s face and working his mouth open with long insistent kisses, while Q leaned on Danny’s shoulder and murmured in his ear.

“...missed you...” he heard. “...hasn’t been the same...”

Danny moaned and turned his head to the side, breaking the kiss. “No, wait. We came out here to talk and I think we should.”

Q snorted. “Stop being irresistible then.” He stroked Danny’s back soothingly. “We need you back in our lives, Danny, as well as in our bed. What do you need?”

Danny blinked, as if he hadn’t expected such a bald declaration. “Aiden said, well, he implied...”

“Aiden.” Bond’s voice was very nearly a growl. “Aiden had all kinds of good points, but he wanted you all to himself while still being able to have others.”

“I know.” Danny’s reply was so soft that Alex had to strain to hear him. “Aiden said you insisted I be included out of some sense of fairness and that I wasn’t really important to the relationship.”

Bond clenched his jaw and his fist, but spoke calmly enough. “And you know that’s not true, right?”

Danny reached up to run a hand through Bond’s short hair. “I’m sure of it now.” He turned to say something to Q, who pulled him into a kiss instead. Danny turned into the kiss and made a tiny whimpering noise when Bond pressed himself against Danny’s back, sandwiching him between them. He let his head fall back onto Bond’s shoulder. “James...”

“Are you coming home with us?”

Danny groaned loudly. “No, not tonight. Sig’s too new to leave by himself in the bar. But tomorrow Pam will be back, and it won’t be a problem.”

“Danny.” Q’s voice was firm. “The bar is a priority of yours and it’s not ever going to be a problem for us to accommodate it. For this to work, we need to talk about anything that concerns us. What we had before, with Aiden? That wasn’t a healthy quad relationship. That was two couples who occasionally fucked around with each other.”

“And for all its limitations and issues, it was still amazing,” Bond added. “But what we want, with you, is a much more equal relationship.”

“And for it to work, we must have clear communication and negotiation between us. It won’t always be easy, but we have to be open with each other to the best of our abilities,” Q warned.

Danny sighed. “You’re right that it won’t be easy for me. Why can’t you just be telepathic?” he groused. “All right. What happens if I want to bring someone else in, like Aiden did?”

“Danny, love, Aiden didn’t want to bring you in,” Bond said softly. “ _We_ wanted you and kept pushing Aiden to get you.”

Danny looked down until Bond lifted his chin with his hand, then he got a determined look on his face.

Q snorted at him. “We’re not dodging the question, Danny. It’s a simple answer, though again, not always easy in practice. Communication. Talk to us about this person. Why you want them. _How_ you want them.”

“If it’s just a lust thing, which may happen from time to time, our likely answer would be...to take safe precautions and be sensible,” Bond said. “If it’s more...same simple answer as before. Talk to us. If you fall in love again and want to bring someone in,” James held Danny’s chin gently, and dropped a very light kiss on the top of his nose, “well, though that’s not exactly how you came to us, love, you were the best possible gift Aiden had ever given in his entire life.”

Alex could see Danny’s eyes getting moist, even in the dimness of the back alley. He fought down a surge of envy and pain, wanting to be that wanted with all of his being.

“Did you have someone already in mind?” Q asked softly.

Danny shook his head. “I won’t risk this,” he said with determination.

Bond turned him for another kiss and Alex set his jaw and climbed down. He didn’t grudge the three their happiness, but he didn’t want to watch any more, either.

Slider raised an eyebrow at him when he came out of the washroom, but just gave him a quick nod when Alex set his jaw and remained silent. They walked out through the bar together, where Slider waved goodbye at the other teams.

“You could stay,” Alex suggested. “Find someone entertaining for the night. It’s not like I’ll be good company,” he added morosely.

“Nah,” Slider said with a smirk. “We can’t even get properly drunk since we’re flying tomorrow so we might as well make an early night of it.”

* * *

The next evening, Danny was just passing along instructions to Pam, his other full-time bartender, when James and Q walked in. She whistled softly. “Well, good goddamn, boss. No wonder you want the night off.”

Danny failed to control his blush by mind-control alone and settled for glaring at her. “Call me if you need anything.”

She waved him away. “I can handle the little handgun.”

James snorted, having approached closely enough to have heard her. “So he’s more of a concealed carry than a full-size pistol?” Q bit his lips together and looked away, hiding a grin.

Pam shrieked with laughter, causing half the bar to stare in their direction, and threw herself at James for a quick squeeze. “I adore him, boss! I absolutely approve, go forth and indulge in your sexual shenanigans with my full and salacious blessing.”

“Yet another conquest, James,” Q said dryly.

Pam grinned at him, then tilted her head and looked back and forth between Q and Danny. She slapped James on the shoulder. “Well, don’t _you_ have a type? Right, enjoy your night, boss!” She strode off to shout at Sig about how the quality of his pours.

“I may need to review my hiring practices,” Danny muttered. “Can we go now?”

They went upstairs to his little efficiency flat above the bar. It was small but tidy and comfortable, and James claimed the single armchair, sprawling in it with a grin. He patted his thighs invitingly.

Danny rolled his eyes but Q gave him a little shove. “You’re indulging, remember? Or rather, we are, so go be cosseted.”

“Mmm, come here, Danny, Q’s had a rough day, so let him get a wee drink first.” James pulled Danny into his lap, resting a hand on his hip and nuzzling his head back to nip kisses along his arched throat.

“The _good_ whisky’s in the cupboard there,” Danny murmured.

“Bless you,” Q said fervently. “James?”

“No, I got to fly today, you were the one dealing with Maverick.”

Danny frowned. “What happened with Maverick?”

“Oh, does he come to the bar?” Q snorted when Danny made a face. “Is he a problem here, too?”

“He’s got something to prove, I think,” Danny said, considering. “He doesn’t really cause trouble, but he doesn’t get along well with the other teams. And Alex, er, Runner, generally has to keep Slider distracted when he’s about.”

Q sat on the edge of Danny’s bed and sipped from the glass of whisky. “Alex, yes.” He tilted his head. “Let’s talk about _Alex_.”

James huffed a laugh. “ _Alex_ has been spending a lot of time swotting away with Q. I don’t know whether he’s really interested in materials science or incompetent at flirting, but he’s got Q’s ears pricked up.”

“You like his flying,” Q pointed out with a smirk. “The two of you were practically flirting in the air today.”

“He’s a good pilot! The best one in the program right now!”

Danny poked James’ belly. “You’re sounding a little defensive there,” he said slyly.

James laughed. “I suppose I am. The problem is that he doesn’t show any interest otherwise, so we’re assuming he’s partnered with his RIO. I wouldn’t have thought that a RAF/USMC mix would work, but there’ve been stranger pairings.”

“Oh, he and Slider aren’t together like that,” Danny blurted.

“Oh?” Q sat up straighter. “Do tell, love.”

Danny blew out a breath and shrugged. “Slider generally picks up a girl or two at the end of the night, and Alex goes home by himself. But it’s not the girls he watches.”

“Does he watch you?” James poked Danny back, smiling as he blushed a little. “So he’s the one who piqued your interest?”

“He is interesting,” Danny muttered, squirming a little on James’ lap until James made a little growly sound, and held him still.

“He is interesting, though.” Q shrugged with an easy grin, finishing the whisky with a quick swallow and standing to strip. “He reminds me of the best parts of you, James, with few signs of your worse habits.”

James rolled his eyes and started working at Danny’s clothing. “He’s much quieter than I ever was. Also probably much smarter.”

“He’s quite smart,” Q nodded. “Perhaps a little...damaged...though.”

James nodded. “His background suggests a rather repressive military family, probably homophobic.” He laughed softly. “I think it’s quite amusing that all three of us are interested in him.”

Danny pulled his head down for a kiss and then stood, shedding his clothes as he walked over to Q. Q grinned and pulled him down onto the bed, his hands and mouth moving over him hungrily. James followed, slower, letting the two work each other up before he slid onto the bed behind Danny, meeting Q’s mouth over his shoulder. Danny shuddered and squirmed between them, fingers tugging at them, his long-banked desire flaring up until he was abruptly right on the edge, making little pleading noises as their hands roved over familiar sensitive spots.

“First we’ll go fast,” Q murmured to him, sliding down to hover over his hips, his breath making Danny twitch. “Then tortuously slow.” He dropped his head to take Danny into his mouth as James wrapped around him and turned his head, swallowing Danny’s cries with a fierce kiss.

“So what happened today with Maverick?” Danny asked lazily some time later.

James splayed a hand over his back and traced lightly over some of the marks they’d left. “I’d grounded him from flying today. But Q brought him and Goose to the control tower to observe the exercise.”

“He’d never seen James fly yet,” Q said with an eyeroll. “I was looking forward to him maybe showing a little humility in the face of his commander’s skills.”

“Corpulent likelihood,” James snorted.

Q sighed. “He got twitchier and twitchier with every team James took out, and he kept muttering under his breath about what _he_ would have done and how _he_ should have been up there.”

“Hmmm,” Danny said. “No humility in sight at this point.”

“Runner went last, and we could tell that he’d been paying attention to all the previous encounters. James was having to use all his tricks...”

“Far from all of them,” James grumbled in protest.

“...and Runner was exceeding all our expectations. Even Maverick was silent for awhile, just watching. It was beautiful flying.” Q grinned. “ _Almost_ made me wish I didn’t get motion-sick.”

“He almost got me,” James admitted with a pleased smile. “Luckily I’ve been flying these buckets quite a bit longer than him.”

Q burst out laughing. “You should have heard Slider cursing through some of the maneuvers Runner was pulling.”

Danny smiled reminiscently and curled between them. “But you got him,” he said to James.

“Of course,” James sniffed.

“There was no ‘of course’ about it!” Q scoffed. “It was such a close thing. And there was radio silence for a moment, and then Runner burst out laughing and graciously thanked James for the demonstration. Then Maverick stormed about in a temper, shouting about what he would have done up there and I ordered him back to quarters before the tower officer decided to have him hauled off. Goose dragged him off with a great deal of exasperation. Childish really.”

Danny hummed thoughtfully. “I wonder what drives him to those extremes.”

“He has a lot of potential,” James offered, stretching.

“He’s dangerous in the sky,” Q said flatly. “He seems to have no thoughts for consequences.”

Danny shifted, his gaze distant. “Rather like another pilot we all once knew.”

James and Q were reaching to comfort him when Danny’s phone rang.

“Sorry boss!” Pam’s voice was loud enough for all of them to hear as she shouted over chaos. “Got a fight down here! Some of the pilots from the base!”

They got downstairs in time to hear Maverick shouting. “You RAF bastards all hang together!”

“It isn’t the Brits! You’re just an asshole, Maverick!” Slider shouted back.

A bottle flew through the air and broke against a column, spraying jagged shards everywhere. Maverick shouted something incoherent and threw himself at Alex, knocking him into a table, and both of them ended up on the ground among the sharp fragments. Slider roared and hauled Maverick up, throwing him off to the side and then stalking after him. When Maverick rebounded off a wall, Goose grabbed him, shouting for him to stop. Maverick tried to shrug him off, and finally shoved him away, sending him reeling into a rack of glasses, which fell with him, sending more shards flying.

There was a piercing shriek which made everyone freeze, and then Pam lowered the air horn.

“Fuck,” Alex said sharply, and staggered, bleeding from several cuts, over to where Goose was curled on the floor, holding his face. There was blood everywhere.

Sig was there instantly, carrying a medical kit, and they helped Goose sit up carefully.

Every flyer in the bar went pale when he lowered his shaking hand and revealed a chunk of glass near his eye.

“Right,” Sig said briskly. “I know you can’t see out of that eye right now, but that’s just the blood. So just take a breath and let me look everything over for a moment, okay? We’ve got an ambulance on the way from the base, I used to be a paramedic, we’ll get everything taken care of.”

“Slider, get everyone to start cleaning up the place,” Alex ordered. Sig glanced at him, noted his cuts and gave him a professional once over, then handed him some gauze before turning his attention back to Goose.

Maverick dropped to his knees beside Goose. “Nick...”

“Don’t,” Goose snapped. “Don’t say anything right now, Mav. I am so fucking done right now.”

“I’ll ride with you to the hospital...”

“No. Just...go home or something. I’ll call when they’re done. Or maybe not.”

Maverick stared, stricken, at Goose, who ignored him as Sig worked carefully. When the ambulance crew arrived, it was Sig who rode with Goose to the hospital.

James and Q were helping with the cleanup, herding the other teams while Pam scolded everyone fiercely. Danny came over to where Alex was sitting, dabbing at a cut on his arm.

“Hey,” he said, softly, reaching for a piece of gauze.

Alex looked up, meeting his eyes, as Danny started to dab delicately at a cut on his forehead. The look of naked yearning in Alex’s eye startled him; it wasn’t what he would call lust, although he fancied there might be more than a touch of it involved. It was the look of someone dying of thirst in a desert, and Danny laid his hand along Alex’s face, watching as he closed his eyes and leaned into the caress, touch-starved.

Danny felt determination surge over him and he leaned in to brush his mouth against Alex’s lightly. “Stick around,” he ordered, smiling at the stunned look Alex gave him. “I need to take care of something, and then we need to talk, all right?”

When Alex nodded, Danny set his jaw and turned to pull Maverick to his feet from where he was still kneeling, a lost look on his face. He dragged him over to a pair of chairs and pushed him into one.

“Listen to me, pilot,” he said firmly. “You’re feeling guilty right now, _and you should.”_ He nodded at Maverick’s shock. “You’re doubly lucky. You’ve got an opportunity to change things right now and you’ve got me to tell you why you should.

“A bit over a year ago, my pilot and I were the best team in the program. Aiden, that’s Joker to you, was a lot like you seem to be - reckless, for sure, but with a natural talent for seat-of-his-pants flying.” Danny gave him a wistful smile. “He was the love of my life and we operated like one body in that cockpit. We were the best and we knew there was no one who could touch us.

“Aiden kept getting cockier as more and more difficult training runs were put in front of us, and we kept blowing them away. Then he decided to take a risky path through the jet wash of another plane in pursuit of a target and the engines cut out way too low. I ejected but he didn’t make it out before the crash.”

Maverick went even paler and Danny nodded at him. “I lost the biggest piece of my life that day. And I knew I could never work with another pilot, so I washed out. So let me tell you what happens if you keep on like this. Either you lose Goose when he walks out on you, tired of your bullshit, or you kill him or you, or the both of you, in flight.

“Now, the best possibility there is that you kill the both of you. If you only manage to kill yourself, realize that Goose has to mourn for the rest of his life, right?That’s bad enough, let me tell you. But if you kill Goose? Then, mate, your world ends anyway.”

He stood up, Maverick’s stare following him like a target lock. “So go to the hospital and fix it, you oblivious twat. Right now, your life is all about you. If you don’t want it to stay that way, you need to start mending what’s broken.”

He walked away, back to Alex, taking him gently by the arm and leading him upstairs, knowing Q and James would follow.

* * *

“Hey,” Maverick said softly, tentatively, leaning against the doorway. “I...I talked to your doctor and he told me your eye was gonna be okay.” Goose glared at him from the unpatched eye and opened his mouth.

Maverick waved his hands quickly. “No, wait, please. I have to say something first, okay?”

Goose stared at him for a moment and then nodded, leaning back in the hospital bed and crossing his arms.

“First, I’m sorry. I’ve been a reckless asshole and I haven’t been thinking of any consequences you might have to deal with. I’ve taken you for granted, and you...you’ve always been there, backing me up, and I forgot...to make sure you knew how much you mattered to me. Nick, you’re the most important person in the world to me, and when I realized I had screwed up so badly that I was losing you, I... God, I’ve never panicked so much. I don’t want to do this without you. I don’t want to do _anything_ without you.”

Goose considered him for a long agonizing moment. “You’re an asshole and you’re going to be making this up to me for a long time, you dick.”

Maverick’s knees wobbled and he sat down abruptly right in the doorway. “Oh jesus, Nick, thank you.”

“Get over here, you dumb fuck,” Goose ordered, making room on the side of the bed. When Maverick settled gingerly on the edge, Goose pulled him into a hug. “You fuck up again and I walk, you hear?”

Maverick swallowed. “Loud and clear,” he whispered through a thick throat.

“Right.” Goose sighed. “I’m an idiot, but you’re worth one more chance, I guess.” He rubbed a hand through Maverick’s hair and gently pushed him away, eyeing the open door. “Did the doc tell you I’m not going to be flying for a few months? They don’t want me risking G’s while my eye is healing.”

“Yes. They’re pulling us from the program due to the medical recommendations...”

“Crap.”

“No, it’s okay. Commander Bond is holding a spot for us in the next one. If you want.”

“Of course I want. As long as it’s _us.”_

“It’s us,” Maverick said. “That’s clear to me now.”

Goose gave him a poke. “Then you get to hang out in the horrible chair there while I doze off on a cloud of happy drugs, which seems entirely fair to me.”

Maverick smiled. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here.”

* * *

Danny had Alex sit on the bathroom counter while he tended to all the little cuts from the fight. They were silent as he worked, but Danny kept in contact with Alex’s skin with at least one hand whenever he could. Alex watched his face with a hungry gaze until Danny finally smiled and leaned forward a little, letting his breath mix with Alex’s as he paused just shy of contact. Alex let slip a tiny ravenous noise and pulled him into a kiss, devouring his mouth until they were both out of breath.

“Lovely,” Q murmured from the doorway, causing Alex to startle. Danny cupped Alex’s face, smiling, and Q came forward to lean against Danny’s back, filling the tiny washroom. He studied Alex past Danny’s shoulder and then reached out to stroke along his jaw. “Will you come join our conversation, Alex?”

Alex had let his eyes slip shut as he savored the touch, but he blinked them open with a faint frown. “Is...that a euphemism?”

Q laughed. “While we do have a bit of a communication kink,” he said, “that particular invitation was merely to talk. Out there, where there’s room for four of us.”

“Yes, please do come out here,” James said from the main room of the tiny flat. “I don’t fancy having to fight a faucet over space for a bit of a cuddle.”

Alex’s face took on the expression of a man steeling himself to face disappointment and he slipped off the counter with his jaw and shoulders set. When James pulled him into a gentle embrace he shivered and then cautiously lifted his arms to touch James’ back.

“Alex.” James breathed into his ear, his hand rising to cup the back of Alex’s head. Alex shuddered with longing and his fingers clenched on the fabric of James shirt. “Right,” James said firmly. “Contact first, then talk.”

He brought Alex over to the bed and pulled him down, sitting with his back to the headboard and Alex between his thighs. James wrapped his arms around him, his hands splayed warm and secure on Alex’s stomach under his shirt. Q sat beside them, pressed along their sides while he turned Alex’s face to brush light, almost soothing, kisses across his mouth. Danny settled on the other side, watching and petting, and tugging Alex in his direction when he felt it was his turn for kissing.

When they paused for breath, Alex was relaxed back against James, skin hunger somewhat sated, his eyes half closed in drowsy pleasure. James took a breath to speak and Alex lifted a hand. “Yes,” he murmured.

Danny burst out laughing. “We haven’t said anything yet.”

“Yes, whatever you meant to ask, yes to anything that lets this go on.”

Q snorted. “Yes to a polyamorous non-hierarchical full-quad relationship?”

Alex gazed into the middle distance while he considered and finally sighed. “All right,” he admitted. “I don’t know what half of that means.”

“It means there’s a lot of talking ahead of us,” James said in amusement. “And more than one conversation, too. But it can wait until tomorrow. Tonight can just be about this.”

“Yes,” Alex murmured, settling again.


End file.
